Alright, let’s dive right into it. We’re talking UFC Fight Night 233 here. It’s the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s last UFC Apex show of 2023. And boy, it’s a doozy!
The action’s going down on a Saturday in Las Vegas. The main draw? Flyweights. Yeah, you heard right.
Now, who’s on the card? We’ve got Hyun Sung Park, the recent “Road to UFC” winner. He’s going head-to-head with Shannon Ross. That’s not all, folks. There’s also top divisional prospect Tatsuro Taira. He’s taking on Carlos Hernandez.
But wait, there’s more. We’ve also got a lightweight showdown between Steve Garcia and Melquizael Costa. It’s a guaranteed banger between two typical featherweights. And guess what? It got pushed back a week. Talk about suspense!
Now, let’s get to the juicy stuff. The preview for the UFC Fight Night “Song vs. Gutierrez” prelims.
Onto the flyweights. Hyun Sung Park (8-0, 1-0 UFC) is up against Shannon Ross (12-8, 0-2 UFC). The odds? Park’s at -425, Ross at +330.
Ross did well to make it to the UFC, even though things haven’t been smooth sailing since he got there. His fight against Vinicius Salvador was a highlight of the 2022 edition of Dana White’s Contender Series. Despite getting knocked out in the second round, Ross scored a contract.
Turns out, he’d been fighting with a ruptured appendix. Who knew? The hope was that Ross could provide some fun bouts at the UFC level. But his durability has been questionable since the Salvador fight. Kleydson Rodrigues and Jesus Santos Aguilar each knocked him out in a combined 76 seconds.
Ross doesn’t draw another knockout artist in facing Park, but it’s still going to be a tough test against the Korean. Park won the flyweight bracket of the inaugural “Road to UFC” tournament earlier this year. He’s a solid, if unspectacular, fighter.
He’s got some decent physical gifts and well-trained fundamentals. But he fights behind a passive style that doesn’t get much done until he finds an opening. This could spell trouble against Ross’ willingness to bring chaos. But Park is a sound submission threat when pressed.
The prediction? Park via second-round submission.
And that’s the lowdown. UFC Fight Night 233 is shaping up to be a night to remember.